Link Africa

Pretty much on the mark to the sort of pieces I'd like to produce.

http://www.linkafricahome.co.za/furniture.html

Colours and Patterns

Work by Philippe Bestenheider






Also found reference to what colours can symbolise in patterns:

blue — peacefulness, harmony and love

green — vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, spiritual renewal

yellow — preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility

red — political and spiritual moods; bloodshed; sacrificial rites and death.

black — maturation, intensified spiritual energy

Found on design trends....... http://trends.voyce.com/index.php/2009/10/27/africa-remix/

I remember attending the exhibition at the Hayward and being excited by vibrant colours and clashes of culture.

Muji Card

Received this card recently and made me think about transportation. Could be transformed into a form of flat pack furniture. Only draw back is wasted material around the shapes, which if produced on a larger scale would become problematic. This could be combated by using the space for construction instructions or product information.

Portable Furniture

Investigating further into portable furniture. Very relevant to African culture due to the nomadic lifestyle that many of the tribes adopt. Would work well as a product to be bought while traveling or to be taken home and used at picnics, festival or outdoor events.

Could be portable through folding or rolling. I've been looking at using textiles for transport and as hinges, this would allow for patterns, colours and texture to be brought to the work.

Some inspiration I've found....

Pitt Rivers.

A visit to the Pitt Rivers in Oxford didn't enlighten me too much on African furniture. There was a section on headrests though. It seemed to be that headrests from the West of Africa more often featured figures or faces, while headrests from elsewhere were more concerned with patterns and abstract shapes.

More African Furniture.

After looking further into African furniture, two different styles interested me most. The headrest and the traditional chiefs chair.

The headrest interested me in particular because of how different it is from western furniture and also the way they hold a lot of sentimental meaning to African people.

I then stumbled across work by Ryan Frank.

Exactly the sort of work I can see myself doing. African with both a Western and Sustainable edge. Enjoyed a lot of his other work..... ryanfrank.net

African Patterns.

Having a look at African Patterns made me think about the possibility of using them on my Phoenix Chair or similar project to create an exciting hybrid, cross-culture design.

Two of my favorite, both found on http://www.design-africa.com/

Indigo Afrique

Online store selling a range of African products. Hopefully all authentic and giving an appropriate amount of money to the producers of the goods. Makes me think that if there is enough demand for a full scale website then it shouldn't be hard to get people to buy these sorts of products while in the continent of origin. Also gives me idea about taking influence from African design for products to sell in the UK rather than just to tourists in Africa.

Have a peek here:

www.indigoafrique.co.uk

Asos Africa.

New African range coming out later this month. Not from Gambia but still relevant and a step in the right direction for fashion design. Have a look here:

http://community.asos.com/post-details/?contentid=5373696898460881405